Following the real estate market crash, it was a common sight to see homes foreclosed, sitting abandoned, stripped of appliances, and with boarded up windows. In some areas, investors have come in and rehabbed these houses to bring new life back into these neighborhoods that have fallen into blight. In Memphis, however, there are still many properties that are in need of help. The Memphis movers have found that neighborhoods can have entire rows of houses with boarded up windows, a problem that contributes to increases in squatters, drug use, violence, and also brings down the value of surrounding homes and neighborhoods.

Since 2006, Memphis police have boarded up over 250 homes throughout the metro area following undercover investigations and other efforts focused on reducing crime in the city, but that’s a miniscule amount compared to the 80,000 abandoned homes throughout Memphis. Empty buildings, boarded up homes, and overgrown lots are all eyesores that keep growing in the area.

Cleaning up some of these lots is an essential step in trying to sell them, or to having the community revamp them as public spaces such as community gardens. Currently, there is a $7 million budget for blight mitigation, an issue that Mayor Wharton finds crucial to the growth and strengthening of the community.